They say that first impressions count - and that’s something the staff at The Springhill certainly recognise.
As you walk through the doors of this pub one of the first sights that greets you is an open window into the kitchen where you can see and smell some of the dishes being prepared.
Take a look around and you will find a rustic pub that appears to pride itself on the food it offers, given the amount of menu boards situated around the place.
And, although The Springhill is renowned for its fish, my friend and I were pleased to find there was still a fair amount of choice. The main menu sticks to some fairly traditional choices such as beef and beer pie and ham and eggs but the lengthy specials board is a little more adventurous with fillet of veal and Shetland organic cod. Fish fans could also easily be tempted by a 16oz plaice.
We found ourselves a bit restricted if we didn’t want fish for a starter but I settled on one of the specials - grilled haloumi dressed with chilli and served mixed leaves, while my dining partner picked pepper stilton mushrooms. They arrived quickly, were well-presented and tasty. The mushrooms had plenty of sauce and there was quite a lot of dressing on my salad which was nice.
When it came to the main courses my friend decided to see whether all the plaudits he had heard about the fish were true and went for the traditional fish and chips. I decided on the vegetable tagletelle with pesto, pine nuts and chargrilled vegetables served with garlic bread.
The fish and chips certainly had a traditional feel - the chips were wrapped in paper to give it that old fashioned look and came with a giant piece of battered fish. The chips were a cut above the average pub offering and the fish tasted really fresh.
Meanwhile my plate of pasta was piled high with tempting looking grilled vegetables and garlic bread.
And it tasted as good as it looked, with just the right amount of pesto and plenty of vegetables meaning it wasn’t too heavy.
Although the desserts included fresh fruit cheesecake and banoffee pie, the size of the main courses meant we will have to save them for a return trip, which we will definitely be making.
Helen Cartwright
Warstones Road,
Penn, Wolverhampton
Tel: 01902 342530
2 Comments
On my visit to the Springhill I was bitterly disappointed; it was a special birthday celebration which turned into a miserable dining out experience.
The whole party ordered starters, after about 45 minutes the unfriendly wait staff started to bring out plates of food, unfortunately they weren’t the starters. They had lost our starter orders and decided to just bring out the mains instead. When we asked about the starters the wait staff just looked confused walked off to ask the kitchen staff and then started bringing out the mains as if the whole thing was resolved in the kitchen, never mind asking the customers!
The main meals came in drips and drabs, some of the party had finished eating there’s whereas some hadn’t even received there’s! The meal was unsatisfactory, people who had ordered the same meal had different sides e.g. turkey roast was meant to be served with cocktail sausage and seasoning etc, every bodies plate had one or the other as if they had run out and shared it between us. The wait staff never once came to see if everything was ok with the meals and when they finally came to clear the table they didn’t even smile.
Stupidly we ordered desserts; these again came out in drips and drabs. No compensation was offered to us for the inconvenience. I can say with confidence that the Spring Hill is a waste of time if you’re going in a party of more than two people, the staff are uncaring and rude, the food is unsatisfactory and basically avoid at all times!
Yuk.
That is all I can say - visit Monday 3rd March 2008
This is one of the worst restuarants - but lets call it what it is PUB - that I have been to.
Went with wife and two daughters.
Service poor, very slow
Food poor average at best - VERY COLD
Reported problem, manager said he would “re heat” my meal???? Or do me a new one “it will only take 2 minutes”
I had already waited an hour for my mixed grill.
Side orders cold, 2 main courses cold, when I paid and complained he knocked £6.50 off bill.
He then told me to pay up and get out!!!
Service without a smile…..AVOID